Too much sun?

I am back after taking a year off from SFG (thanks to a hail storm destroying all my seedlings).  

This year, along with my 2 x 8 raised bed; I have an elevated bed (Veg Trug from Gardener's Supply).  I ordered Mel's mix from Home Depot to fill it as I was starting a bit late and couldn't source all the materials quickly enough.  It seems to be drying out more than my ground based bed.  

Should I mulch around the plants?  Water more?  Or is it possible it is getting too much sun?  It get's sun pretty much all day beginning at 8 AM.  I wonder if it is possible for veggie plants to get too much sun?  Any thoughts?

Hi TTX.  I certainly would recommend mulching!  That will help quite a bit.

My garden is in a NE corner of my yard & gets sun all day.  Some things DO like some shade, especially in the afternoon.  Read your seed packets and you might check the All New SFG book.

Plants can get stressed out by sun, but temperature matters more. Tomatoes adore sun, for example, but if the days are too hot they will drop their flowers and you'll get no crop, even though you may get luxurious green growth. And the amount of water they get makes a big difference in how well many plants can take the heat.

Luckily, you can do something to moderate water stress by not just giving them more water, but making sure they keep more of what they get. Think about mulching. Straw or wood chips can be good choices.

There are some plants that simply need to be sheltered more, though. You can set up shade cloths to help, but I don't know how much work and expense you want to go to. Alternatively, you can choose plants better suited for extra sun and heat. If those aren't the plants you were thinking of planting already ... would you be comfortable trying out different, more sun-friendly plants?

I don't know how your planter relates to the space around it, or if it is movable or not. Do you have the flexibility to use it in such a way that more sensitive plants get fewer hours of sun, or morning sun only, before the sun gets blocked off by some wall or architectural feature?

ttx,  I looked up your new bed - very nice looking.  I don't know what your climate is like nor your recent weather.  Beds set on the ground get a modulating temperature base from the earth.  My beds are all elevated, now, and I am having to water more and mulch heavier.  My plants are already suffering in the 90*F temps we are having here.  Time to set up the curtain sheers for direct or western sun protection.

Mulch, and maybe protect from direct sun.   ??

PS I see Marc and Marie have already replied.

I'm in Maryland, not too far from you.  Container gardens and table-tops will dry quickly, so you may have to water more often.  Mulch helps a bit.  My beds are on the ground, and I have to water twice a day in mid-summer.  Since I am away from the house from 7am to 6pm, I use shade cloth to keep my plants from wilting.  If I was retired, I wouldn't use it.  I would give them a  mid-day watering.  The more sun, the better.

Today reach the high 90s and all my plants suffered. I MUST get the shade cloths over the beds. Just saying.

Last year when we hit the 90s I stuck tall bamboo poles in the ground on either side of the tomato plants and then with spring clothes pins, pinned shade cloth to them for shade.  They were too tall for hoops.  I could lift the cloth on the side between the plants and the sun to keep them shaded; on the east earlier in the day, then on the west side as the sunshine moved over.

I also use my patio umbrella to partially shade my containers.